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Thursday, April 30, 2009

I stopped at the same spot to take this photo yesterday as this one I took a few weeks before. The sky is still different today--the rain clouds have fled and the snow was almost gone on Rattlesnake Mountain by eight this morning.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tthe capitol of the state of Washington is Olympia. Our state capitol building is considered by some to be one of the more beautiful in the fifty states. It faces the state justice building directly across from it on the Capital Campus.

O is for the Olympic Mountains...

...and the Olympic Peninsula where they are located. The city of Olympia is located at the south end of the Olympic Peninsula, just where the thumblike shape of it takes off.

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You can also see the Olympics from the Seattle area on a clear day. This was taken from a hilltop in Bellevue looking over the fog hovering over Puget sound. You can see some buildings of downtown Seattle just below the highest peak.

Back to the capitol campus, a pleasant walk around the parklike area finds several memorials, this one to Washington's World War I casualties. The dedication is "In memory of the citizens of Washington who lost their lives in the World War, 1917-1918".

Monday, April 27, 2009

Check the Odd Shot details by clickig the logo in the sidebar. Leave your link on Mr. Linky if you also post an odd shot. There've been some links that did not seem odd to me, but as the interpretation is broad, I have generally left them. Do leave a comment as well--Mr. Linky sometimes disappears for me unexpectedly.

I was poking around in the photo files on my laptop and found this from last summer some time. Trees growing in my daughter's rain gutter. TREES!!! I noticd the las time we were there that they were cleaned out of there.

I should have posted this information last week. It's about joining a team.

Let me tell you, a team is a good thing to have when doing the 3-Day. It is much more fun than going it totally alone. My first time I teamed with my daughter. Even a team of two is great.

A good team can work together in fundraising. A team gives you someone to talk to if you are shy. A team is support.

There is a special registration going for team members and it ends tomorrow. (That's why I am so remiss--I should have given you some time.) You can save $35 on your registration fee if you join and join a team at the same time. If you would like to join me in Arizona in November (the weather is wonderful there then) to walk for 3 days and have a lot of fun while promoting Breast Cancer Awareness, then e-mail me and I will give you the details of how to get in on the special registration. I can give you the information if you want to join another team, too, there are open teams for all the walks.

But you only have till tomorrow to decide and register, so think quickly.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

While visiting Olympic National Park over the weekend to participate in Washington Coastal Clean-up Day, we learned that this is National Park Week. We were presented with a wonderful evening program about the history and riches of America's national parks.

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The first area to be set aside as a national park was Yellowstone--first in the world--followed by Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Mt. Rainier. Our Mt. Rainier National Park was established in 1898.

The early days of the parks were not well organized, and the National Park Service was not formed until 1916 and a ranger corps established some time after that. Early rangers had to do everything from law enforcement to latrine cleaning. Rangers now specialize--interpretation, education, law enforcement, maintenance, administration.

The parks have come a long way from when this photo was taken in Sequoia in 1928.

More than 300 National Parks, National Monuments and other sites are administered by the National Park Service, and the idea spread to many other countries which have set aside areas special to them as National Parks.

Here in Skagway, Alaska, in part of the Yukon Gold Rush National Park, a ranger explains the history that is spotlighted here.

Cultural artifacts are highlighted at locations such as Wupatki Pueblo National Monument in Arizona.

Wukoki Pueblo, Wupatki National Monuments, Arizona

Parks are protected homes for critters--the elusive ones such as this pika.....and the little show-offs such as this "camp robber" who followed us posing for two miles. Rangers can interpret the environment for young and young at heart.

Grove of the Patriarchs, Ohanepecosh, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

The variety in our National Parks is overwhelming, from a peek at the peak...

Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

...to an arching span...

Arches National Park, Utah

...caves...

Lehmann Caves, Great Basin National Park, Nevada

...ocean beaches...

Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington

...canyons grand and small...

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

...more glorious mountain views...

Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

...what water does in small or large occurrences...

Zion National Park, Utah

We have learned a lot over the years about the residents of our National Parks, so that this by zoom lens...

bear in the meadow, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

...has replaced this for the protection of both the bears and the humans.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 1928

And we know that in order to participate for our enjoyment...

ready for a backcountry hike, White River Campground, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

...we also must participate in the parks' protection and preservation.

Washington Coastal Clean-up Day, Olympic National Park, Washington

Ken Burns, who has produced a documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea, was in Seattle on Monday speaking about the film and previewing some clips from it. We weren't there either, but you can hear his interview from earlier in the day on KUOW here.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Odd Shots happens here every Monday. See the details by clicking the Odd Shots camera logo in the sidebar. Join us in the fun by adding your link if you have posted an odd shot. Since Mr. Linky disappears when the next odd shot is posted, please comment as well.

Okay--I may be the only one who can't see Mr. Linky, but if you also can't see him, just leave a comment. And since I can't see him, I won't see your link unless you post a comment. Sigh! Of course, Mr. Linky may very well appear for me tomorrow, so take your chances.

This time it was operator error. I entered the wrong code for Mr. Linky. I think I have that fixed now.

Friday, April 17, 2009

The bird in this sunset shot was an added bonus and continued to fly toward the south into the Mt. Adams sunset that I have posted at Yakima Valley Daily Photo. Despite the fact that the two photos were take within a minute of each other, the colors in the sky just a few degrees apart are totally different. You can click the photos in both blogs to enlarge, and you can click to find other beautiful skies from around the world at the Skywatch site.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I've seen mountains all over the West and in other parts of the world, but there just does not seem to be a comparison to our Pacific Northwest volcanoes. Here you can see Mt. Rainier from a return flight into Seattle. Beyond it just to the left you can see Mt. Adams. (Click to enlarge to get a better view.) At the right edge of the horizon you can just make out Mt. St. Helens.

For a right now view of Mt. Rainier, look here, though sometimes you can see nothing but the fog. The volcano cam for Mt. St. Helens close up to the crater is not working right now.

Stop by and visit my new blog. I set it up so that I could post large format photos. I won't do memes on it, just whatever strikes me at the moment, so I called it 365-no themes-no memes.

About Me

I am a Grandma blogger, posting some regular stuff on some regular blogs--photos and memes. Most recently I have primarily participated in a weekly header challenge, but hopefully I will get back to more regular blogging again.